Pedestrians take to streets for car-free fests
The sun was shining and public transit was packed as people poured on to Main Street and Commercial Drive on Sunday to take part in Car Free Day in Vancouver.
Organizer Matt Carico estimated upwards of 400,000 people attended the festivities on Sunday at the two east Vancouver locations and Saturday in the West End, a significant increase over last year’s event, which was dampened by rain.
This year the weather was more cooperative. Main Street drew the biggest crowds, with 21 blocks closed off, and local businesses took advantage of the increased foot traffic.
Cheryl Nelson and Nicole Harshey said they were at the Main Street event specifically because of the local businesses.
Nelson said she needed to buy some vinyl for her boyfriend at Neptoon Records, and Harshey wanted to take advantage of a sale at her favourite clothing shop, Devil May Wear.
“I live close to Commercial Drive and it’s nice to go outside your usual territory,” Nelson said.
Another organization taking advantage of the increased foot traffic on Main was St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic church, with the choir performing on the street beside a sign that said, “Ask a Catholic Priest.”
“It’s really to open the doors of the church and let our community be seen by others,” said Father James Hughes, one of the priests who made himself available to take questions from the public.
Commercial Drive, the original home of Car Free Day, was home to its usual mix of loud music, quirky vendors and eclectic crowds. In a vintage twist, the Transit Museum Society had a 1957 Brill Diesel bus parked on the Drive, with a 25 Victoria sign on its front. Inside the bus were vintage ads.
Across town in Kitsilano, Car Free Day looked very different.
Kitsilano already has several large street festivals during the summer that involve street closures, so when Car Free Day expanded out of Commercial Drive several years ago, Kits residents decided to keep things small and intimate by holding neighbourhood block parties, said organizer Lisa Slakov.
At one such party on West 6th, about 40 neighbours mingled in the street, listening to a local band.
Seniors relaxed in lawn chairs under the shade of the trees, others soaked up the sun in patio chairs and two little girls played on a homemade teeter-totter.